1 Timothy 1:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Tonight, we start our new book of the bible! Not new like we just wrote it, but new to us to go through with a fine-tooth comb and get all the nuggets we can get out of it
Before we get too much into this message I would like to pray
So tonight is kind of awesome because I get to tell some history on Timothy
I want to introduce do you to this book properly and try to be as thorough as possible so we all have a good understanding of who we are reading about, but also, in just these 2 verses, there’s some Holy Spirit filled goodness that I do want to touch on so it encourages us as we begin our decent into the pages of 1st and 2nd Timothy
So lets talk about the book itself
Title and Author: The book of 1 Timothy is traditionally attributed to the Apostle Paul. The title “1 Timothy” reflects its status as the first of two letters addressed to Timothy, a young pastor whom Paul was mentoring. Paul identifies himself as the author in the opening verse.
Historical Context: 1 Timothy was likely written around A.D. 62-64, during Paul’s later years, possibly while he was in Macedonia after his first Roman imprisonment. The early church was facing internal and external challenges, including false teachings and the need for organizational structure.
Audience: The primary audience is Timothy, whom Paul left in Ephesus to oversee the church there. However, the letter also serves the broader Christian community by providing guidance on church leadership and doctrine.
Purpose: Paul wrote to instruct Timothy on how to lead the church effectively. The letter addresses false teachings, church order, qualifications for leaders, and pastoral care. Paul aims to ensure that the church remains faithful to the gospel.
Genre and Style: 1 Timothy is an epistle, characterized by personal instruction, doctrinal teaching, and practical advice. It combines theological exposition with pastoral care.
Just from a personal level, I’ve received so much teaching and encouragement from these two books – It’s geared towards believers in leadership, but even if you aren’t in leadership in the church, you can learn so much from what Paul says
So I don’t want you to checkout and not get what the Lord is saying to you if you just think this book if for Pastors or leaders in the Kingdom – it’s for us all and we should grow from reading and absorbing it
So as I introduce this book tonight, I want to focus on the second verse
1 Timothy 1:2 (NKJV) 2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
To Timothy, a true son in the faith
What made Timothy in the eyes of Paul a true son?
The thing that kept hitting me in the face was these three words – a true son
Paul didn’t have any children, but he considered Timothy a true son – Timothy held a special place in his heart
Tonight I wanted to speak to what it means to be true sons and daughters of the most high God
I think we need the mindset that Timothy had – no matter how old we are and how long we have been Christians – we are still infinitely young in the eyes of God – we are babies – we are lads and lasses in the overall picture
So what do we know about Timothy and why was he considered a true son in the faith?
First and Second Timothy both have a wealth of knowledge concerning the task of understanding the personality of Timothy. It is clear that Paul saw him as a vital member of the team, and he had complete confidence in Timothy
Timothy is said to be the beloved “true son in the faith” to Paul. He holds a very high regard and love for Timothy throughout his life and journeys. Timothy is described as being very timid and received a great deal of encouragement from Paul throughout 1 and 2 Timothy.
Timothy’s name literally means “honoring God” and “precious to God,” which is a true description of this beloved dude. Timothy’s life shows how one person can make a difference for Christ and how each person’s efforts are notated by God.
Throughout the Epistles of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, we will learn more about the life of Timothy, and one can draw a general description of the person of Timothy from these facts.
While Timothy has often been understood as being timid, he actually possessed the qualities of being a strong and courageous servant of Jesus Christ.
Timothy was born into a mixed marriage, with his father being a Greek and his mother being a Jew (Acts 16:1). It should be noted that his father was not a Hellenistic Greek, but rather, he was a heathen Greek.
His mother, Eunice, however, brought Timothy up in the Word of God and instructed him correctly because Paul describes Eunice as having sincere faith (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, was also a faithful follower of Christ.
It is a probability that Eunice was one of Paul’s early converts from his first missionary trip. Lois and Eunice are both recorded to be the two main people who prepared Timothy to accept the gospel.
It is crazy that Timothy had such godly influences in his life, and this helped him obtain a knowledge of God. It is believed that Timothy’s father died while Timothy was fairly young, which explains why Timothy was not brought up in the traditional Greek faith and belief system.
So with that said, Timothy was mainly influenced in his life by his mother and grandmother to prepare him for when he would meet Paul and ultimately accept Christ.
Timothy’s hometown was most likely Lystra. Lystra was not a major town; however, it was contained within the Roman province of Galatia. Because of these facts, Timothy was most likely from Lystra, and he was converted on Paul’s first missionary trip.
Because Timothy was from Lystra, he was most likely a Galatian. Timothy may not have had a formal education; however, he may have been taught and instructed by Paul during their time together.
Since Paul was a trained scholar, it is not unreasonable that Paul would have taught Timothy. It is agreed upon by scholars, however, that Timothy was literate. All of these factors played a role in the person Timothy was going to become.
It is not until Timothy joins Paul in the service of the ministry that his personality starts to shine through. Even though Timothy was brought up in a small secular town, God brought him out to do mighty things to advance His Kingdom.
It has been concluded that Timothy most likely accepted Christ on Paul’s first missionary trip; however, one cannot be curtain on the exact moment of his conversion, though we do know that he did accept Christ.
What Lessons Can We Learn from Timothy?
One cannot be exact on how old Timothy was when he met Paul; however, it can be known that he was young. The most curtain age of Timothy, however, is most likely that he was in his thirties while he traveled with Paul.
Timothy’s youth was not seen as a problem for Paul because Paul urged Timothy to press on and lead a good example for others. Just because Timothy was young, it did not mean that he could not do mighty things for God as the life of Timothy teaches us that God can use any person no matter what age they are when He calls them.
Despite Timothy’s youth, he was wise beyond his years, and this was due to being raised in the Word of God as well as being guided by the Holy Spirit.
A strong personality trait of Timothy that is often held by commentators is that Timothy is said to be timid (2 Timothy 1:7). This would imply that Timothy was not courageous or that he was easily frightened.
It should be noted that Paul did not think of Timothy as being a coward. Some theologians have believed that the translation of the Greek word into “timid” or “fear” does a great disservice to Timothy.
When one reads that Timothy was timid, it is important to note that Paul is not claiming him to be a coward as he is simply reminding Timothy that God has given the believer power, love, and self-control by the Holy Spirit.
From the biblical support and the different scholars, it is clear that Timothy was not timid but rather that he was brave and courageous!
Characteristics of Timothy’s personality are that he had the spirit of love, power, and a sound mind/self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). When Paul is addressing Timothy in this letter, he is not stating that Timothy does not have these attributes as he is actually confirming that Timothy possesses these characteristics.
Timothy does have the characteristics of courage, love, power, and self-control, which were all qualities that he obtained by the Holy Spirit working in him. Further details on Timothy’s personality can be found by the fact that he did not have his entire life figured out, and he still needed guidance.
This can make it easy for us to relate to Timothy because it demonstrates that Timothy was a person just like most of us. This also showed a characteristic of Timothy’s personality, which is that he is honest with himself, others, and most importantly, God.
He knew that he needed guidance and insight, and Paul acted as a father to Timothy to provide for this need. Timothy also obtained guidance from the Holy Scriptures as a pattern for his life, and us as true sons and daughters would benefit from this practice too.
Drawing further from what one can learn about Timothy, one finds that Timothy had a personality marked with excellent speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity (1 Timothy 4:12).
I hope this give everyone a good and thorough understanding of Timothy
I just have two points tonight – actually two questions that I want to ask tonight
Question One: Can you call yourself a true son or daughter of faith?
As I asked myself these questions I was really humbled and also encouraged – It was a moment that I was able to just be honest with myself and also with Jesus
I think most of us answer this question quickly – its like second nature – and there’s nothing wrong with that. – can I just challenge you not to?
I know, that seems counterproductive right? Wait – you want me to question my faith? No – I just want to slow the train down and ask more pointed question – I’m not asking if you have faith, I’m not asking if you are born again – I’m asking if you can call yourself a true son or daughter?
I’ll go first – it really depends on the day for me – These last few days have been rough – Failures, inadequacies, mistakes – the last couple of weeks have been full of them – I find myself saying the same prayer daily – God I can’t do this without you – Which is a very truthful prayer – but I think it’s a prayer that just invites Jesus to do whatever work He needs to do in my life – Think about it – Satan was cast out of heaven because of his pride – humility literally opens the door for God to work in our lives – Telling God you can’t do something unless He empowers you to do so is the best invitation for the Holy Spirit to come and help you
I do think there’s a timing that God looks for in us right? There are things that He has given, likes gifts and talents to help us do the work – but there’s something special about asking God for help because you know that you can’t produce anything good apart from Him
That’s why I pray the same prayer before I give a message – It has to be Him and not me trying to “make” something happen
Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
I love love love this verse because the Holy Spirit showed me another level of it as I was studying it for this message – The thing that popped off the page was this – we know that Paul was talking about being content and this verse points to Paul’s contentment – but here’s the cool thing – Paul was so content in God providing his strength – Providing his meals, providing his provision, he knew the key to contentment was that Jesus was all He needed to live this life – Jesus was all he needed to do the work in which he was called to do and he was perfectly fine to let God drive – he knew all of his everything came from God
He reached a place of pure faith in his Father – He knew what it was to be a true son – adopted yes – but he had a blood transfusion – and that blood was royal blood – that blood was Jesus’ blood
He walked in true sonship and he taught Timothy to be a true son in the faith as well
1 Timothy 1:2 (NKJV) 2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Can you call yourself a true son or daughter of faith? – What does that mean? It means that we need to be honest with ourselves
Let me drop some truth bombs on you right now
If you are born again – you are a true son and daughter of faith
Does it mean you’re living that way – not always – it has to be something that takes root in your heart – because we are all orphans – but I had a dad, I had a mom – true
What I love in this picture is this – when we come to realize that God’s love isn’t conditional and that He will never leave us or forsake us – no matter what we do, no matter how much we push Him away – when we finally realize that our provider has us – we will be smiling like these two kiddos
Romans 2:4 (NKJV) Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
His goodness leads us to repentance – it’s not His wrath – it’s not His judgement – it’s not His loud voice – It’s not His harshness – It’s not His stern look – it’s not His anger
His goodness – which we have no measurement for other than His deep love for us – How deep? He sent His one and only begotten Son to die for our ransom – not just death – a gruesome, terrible painful death
Question 2 – What needs to change in your life for you to answer yes? Do you see yourself a true son or daughter?
I can tell you it’s a very easy answer – What needs to change? – You do
Our hearts, our mindset, our ethos, our identity needs to change – we can’t keep going through our walks with the slight notion that we’re Christians when everything is good, but when things are hard – we run back to our sin – Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
We can’t be Sunday and Wednesday believers – that’s a life sentence of disaster and doesn’t hold any power with God – How do I know? I’ve lived it – I’ve had that relationship with the Lord and it’s not a relationship at all.
We need to be able to forgive ourselves and move forward – whatever guilt or shame you’re holding onto like a teddy bear isn’t God’s best for you – let it go – give it to God
One of my favorite songs ever was a Song written by a Christian band called Lifehouse called Everything – You have probably heard it if you have been a Christian more than 20 years – But I just want to read the lyrics for you tonight and encourage you with them – I just want Jesus to be my everything and to live a life that reflects that
Join us this Sunday at either 8:30AM or 10:30AM for worship followed by this message from the Word of God.
Christian Life Church of Cedar Rapids
2808 Schaeffer DR SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
www.CedarRapidsChurch.com
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